The start of a new academic year brings with it many worries. What will I wear on my first day? Can I remember a single thing I learnt last year? Is it bad that I’ve eaten pasta for every meal since I got back? Where has all my money gone? All questions I’m sure you’ve asked yourselves many a time over the past couple of weeks. But behind the scenes, the Cowbell team has been working tirelessly to improve things for you – our loyal readers. We want to bring you something that will spice up your life more than an awkward tinder date, something that will transform your educational experience more than the library’s renovated lending system. We want to bring you the gift of the Power Walk.

Power Walk (verb) : to walk with confidence and swagger (in the Shakespearean sense of the word), such that people look at you and go “oooh check out that person” or “golly, I wish I looked as cool as [insert name here]”

We all know the feeling. Walking into uni on your first day, probably repping the waviest garms you could muster up from a long summer away. You want to look cool yet casual, no one must know that you spent a good half an hour trying to flatten down your hair this morning. Maybe you’re in first year and you have a few questionable buddies from halls trailing behind you. The bottom line: you need a soundtrack. You need tunes in your ears that will allow you to walk like Danny from Grease. You own this school and everyone knows it.

Never fear, Cowbell HQ has heard your call. That’s why we’re introducing Power Walking Wednesdays! No more shall you walk in silence, brothers, for we will bring music quite literally to your ears through the medium of Spotify. Every week we will release a playlist that fits the various moods we all experience when walking. Whether it’s a thoughtful walk after a night out or a stride of pride after that cheeky tinder date. Whether your feeling Smooth FM or Radio 1 Extra, soulful or folkful, up or down. WE GOT YOU PEOPLE.

To kick off this wonderful period of jammin’, we’ve got the Indie Movie walk. Now, I hope we’ve all seen 500 Days of Summer. Don’t feel guilty, that film objectively rocks. Picture in your mind Joseph Gordon Levitt knocking out a home run after finally sleeping with his dream girl. THAT is what we want to capture this week. This playlist is for that chipper feeling when you’ve packed your lunch, made your 9am, flirted with that person you’ve always fancied from your seminar and wrapped the day up by cracking open a cold one with the lads. You go, Glen Coco

Big kisses,

Emma xxx